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What if Percy had failed, to stop the prophecy from coming true? PART THREE
*Note: Please don't edit this book unless you are correcting spelling etc. Don't add anything unwanted though please *Percy dies in this story so don't read if you have a soft spot for him!!! (Still a good ending for him anyways though :3 ) Review of last two books: Percy blows up Princess Andromeda with Beckendorf and talks to Kronos/Luke. Beckendorf gets knocked out, and is taken to the infirmary. Kronos, seems to think everything is going according to his plan. Percy feels like he cant handle, being everybody's hero and admits this to Annabeth. He worries that he will fail, from their expectations. Shall we see if this is true? Percy POV I put my armor on, fumbling with the straps. I felt like a total loser, no way I could battle Kronos the Titan Lord and have a chance of winning. I half hoped, I wasn't the prophecy kid after all. Maybe Nico would be. But then, I felt even more guilty, for even doing that to Nico, after all I'd already let him lose his sister. The poor guy didn't need any more pressure or pain. It was my responsibility. It would stay with me until the day Kronos fell...or I fell. Either way I guess. I checked my pocket again, Riptide was still there thank the gods. I'd checked about every three minutes a nerveous sort of feeling seeping through my veins. You might call that 'overdoing it' but I'm just being cautious. There was on part in my dream last night, I hadn't told Annabeth. The Fates had appeared to me and told me, in person that I couldn't win this one. In the vision, I was standing up to Luke/Kronos, holding my sword, backed up into a corner. All my friends, lay at my feet, unconscious or dead I didn't want to know. Chiron was notching his last arrow, trembling with either rage or fear, I couldn't tell but it didn't matter. I raised my sword to defend myself but Kronos kicked it away easily. I waited a few moments, waiting for it to reappear. It never did. I patted my pocket- it was gone. Kronos stalked closer and then with a flash brought down his scythe. At that moment I jerked up in my bed sweat beading my forehead and blankets strewn across the floor. I must have been thrashing. I tucked Riptide into my shirt pocket for the seventh time, and take a deep breath. The campers we had left, awaited my command. We had so few fighters I almost said, "Alright that's it. Let's just wait for our doom people. Back to your cabins!" After the Battle of the Labyrinth and Luke taking so many of our campers from us...it was a wonder we had ANY left at all. I felt like crawling under my bed and hiding, but that wasn't what I needed to do. The prophecy had to come true, no matter what the outcome. I learned a long time ago that you can't run from a prophecy. Annabeth came up from the sideline and kissed me for good luck, it didn't last long but I didn't know what to say. I said something really intelligent like, "Uhhh ugg mmm wha...". I was so shocked I almost forgot I was supposed to lead the other campers to war. They stared at me, waiting for me to say something. "For the Olympians!" I shouted and punched the air with my fist. I did it with so much confidence, I almost convinced myself that this wasn't completely hopeless. I sent the cabins out to different positions and waited for the ships to come. I felt like I'd made a mistake, I sent all the cabins to different places, but it may not have been their type of element. Worse, I didn't hear any sign from the Hunters of Artemis or the Ares cabin. After Clarisse didn't get her stupid chariot, she insisted that Ares wouldn't help us. Chiron wasn't here either- I didn't know where he was. I already knew that more than half of us was either dead or dying. We couldn't hold out, we weren't strong enough. But I had to keep trying. The entire town was asleep, so I directed some of the Hephaestus guys to lift the cars and pedestrians out of the streets where the fighting was going to be on. I don't know who decided I should be the leader, but whoever it was is a total idiot. I was sure I was making all the wrong choices. What I saw on the horizon was completely horrifying. It looked like Luke/Kronos had gotten much stronger than I'd given on to be. Monsters swarmed from the boats, easily climbing onto land. I tried to concentrate, maybe wipe out some from this far but I couldn't. Hellhounds took the land with heavy strides, galloping towards us with incredible speed. Dracanae marched in single file, it would have been slightly funny if there hadn't been so many of them. Each of them wielded a wicked blade. Hoards of mythical beasts and creatures stormed off the ships and advanced towards us. I knew I'd forgotten something. I almost slapped myself for being so stupid- I could have sunk those ships before they reached land. Now it was too late, monsters poured onto the sand and charged us. When the demons rushed ashore, I shared one look with Annabeth, and we charged together. It was that kind of moment were you pass an understanding- if I die, we both die. We swept through the crowd like tornadoes, slashing here, ducking there and parrying there. We were doing pretty well. We swept through them so fast, that they didn't have time to say, "Momma!" Annabeth almost fell underneath a hoard of telkhines but I grabbed her hand and pulled her up before she got too scratched. We worked our way around the Williamsburg Bridge, trying to get to the heart of the enemy army. We reached the shoreline, fallen monsters disintegrating before our eyes. Annabeth clutched her shoulder and turned to look at me. "Percy, if we don't make it through this-" I didn't give her time to reply. I took her hand and hugged her close, not caring if the other demigods saw me. It was when you realize, that life is short. Once you die, you can't get it back, this only happens once. She reached up and we kissed one last time. "Be careful," She whispered and then turned around and slashed open a boar with an easy swipe of her dagger. I found Ethan not far away, trying to get behind one of our Apollo guys. I realized later it was Micheal Yew. "Micheal!" I screamed as Ethan raised his blade, which was dripping with poisonous venom. He turned just in time to parry the blade away and make an uppercut with his hand to Ethan's stomach. The son of Hecate collapsed to the ground and I turned back to observe the battleground. I realized that Kronos wasn't the only Titan here. A large Titan much taller than any average mortal was looming past the ships and advancing in Annabeth's direction. At the same moment the biggest flying pig I ever saw swooped out of the clouds. The Clazmonian Sow, I recalled from Chiron's history lessons in sixth grade. The sow oinked fericiously and dove down raising its hooves to bash someone on the head. With a start I realized it was Grover. I made a split decision- save Annabeth or Grover? I gripped my shield then threw it like a boomerang in Grover's decision yelling "GROVER DUCK!" and dove under a crowd of monsters desprately reaching for Annabeth. "ANNABETH! GET DOWN!" I yanked her by the ankles to a hunched position. We were invisible in the sea of chaos. Her face was pale and blood covered her face. I noted the nicks and scratches on her armor. "Annabeth that shiny Titan looks like he wants to kill you." I risked a glance over the fighting monsters and demigods. The Titan was still walking toward us with a dark expression, exploding demigods left and right with a flick of his hand. "You mean Hyperion?" Annabeth asked sounding annoyed for old times sake. I shrugged. "Whatever. Hyper...hi....hyper Titan dude wants to kill you. Get out of here." I grabbed the back of her armor and shoved her backwards, maybe a bit roughly but all I wanted to do was keep her safe. Annabeth's face turned almost as dark as Hyperion's. "No Percy! If I die, I will die a warriors death!" I had to withold from smacking her. "Do you know how stupid that sounds?" I gripped her by the shoulders. "I can't lose you Annabeth! I can't-" my voice broke. "I...I love you." I confessed. The world seemed to stop around us and she took a deep breath. "I love you too Seaweed Brain but this world isn't just about us." She touched my face gently. "This is more than us. I'll try to be careful, but..." She looked away from me. I grabbed her hand. I wanted to tell her 'forget the world' ''but I couldn't. I just looked at her hand then let it go. She walked away from me into the enemy army, and I watched her until she was out of view. My distraction with Annabeth cost me, but at least Hyperion had been subdued. Grover and a few other saytrs and nymphs had somehow managed to cover the Titan in a tree, until you couldn't see him anymore. The golden Titan had been encased, I saw a half dozen water nymphs walking away, staggering really, from the battle with the Titan. They must have taken him down with their water. I gave myself a mental slap for not helping. That's about when I turned back to the bridge. I made my way back, killing as many as I possibly could. Demigods on skeletal horses appeared- but they didn't belong to my side. They rallied and then picked their way down towards us. Cursing in Ancient Greek I launched myselves at them. Fighting demigods was different then a monster- they had lives. They didn't reform, and we might have been friends before. I tried to get their horses, maybe have them fall off and get knocked out. I was so busy stabbing and jabbing that I didn't hear the terrible roar behind me until the second time. The minotaur. He was dressed for battle, and a had large spear strapped to his back. His furry body bristled with anger and his eyes burned with hatred. When he saw me he bellowed in furious rage. I didn't feel very brave anymore. He charged. I tried to sidestep, like I had done years ago on Half-blood Hill, but he grabbed my arm and swung my around, like we were doing the Dosi-do. Pain like fire raced up my arm, and I almost wished I'd taken Nico up on his Achilles Curse offer. I almost passed out from the pain, of him gripping my arm so hard.The minotaur bellowed to his army like "Come watch this!" and flung me off the bridge and I landed below in the water, in the Hudson. I sorely got to my feet. Kronos stood on the side, watching me quite amused, with like half an army behind him. Great, more people to try and kill me. "You took all the wrong turns Perseus Jackson. I'd show you what you should have done...but you see, I have to take over Manhattan now. Have fun dying." He waved his hand and I suddenly felt tired, and heavy like I had on the ''Princess Andromeda. I could barely swim ashore, but the water sustained me. It took too long. I knew I was too late, even the water, didn't help me as I wanted it to. By the time I got to the Empire State Building my friends were scattered far and near, with blood and signs of a struggle upon them. Annabeth was nowhere to be found. I glanced around me again, eery silence. Not a squeak or the sound of a shield falling towards concrete with a hollow THUD! I backed into a corner, in the alley with a sewer cap below, and almost had a heart attack when someone grabbed my leg. It was Annabeth, bleeding on her arm poison sweeping through her veins. "Percy..." She said faintly. I could sense the poison killing her slowly. "Annabeth!" I grabbed her hand. "Oh my gods it's okay! We can get a medic! I'll see if I can find someone from Apollo..." My voice died off when I saw her shaking her head. It must have hurt a lot to even to do that. "No...Ethan. His dagger...poison." She muttered bitterly. Her hand releases mine, as it falls limply to the ground. Her eyes turn away from me and stare into nothingness. My heart feels like it's dying already. My life feels over. All my friends, are killed because of- I hear footsteps behind me. "YOU." I growl turning around slowly. Kronos was swinging his scythe, advancing. "So sweet to see you two like this, before you both die." Kronos smiles stepping forward. I stand in front of Annabeth. "Stop." I say lamely. With a horrible feeling, I realize it's happening. My vision from last night, is replaying. "Step away from them." Another voice enters the conversation. Kronos and I are both surprised. We turn to look and see Chiron notching his last arrow. "Father, you never knew what pity or mercy was." In spite the fact that his hands are shaking, I'm impressed. Chiron doesn't look scared, but more angry and with the kind of look that says "''Step-Away-or-I-Will-Send-You-Back-To-Tartarus-the-Hard-Way." '' Kronos spits on to the asphalt, like he's amused that his son would stand up to him. "Chiron, glad you could make it too the party. Sadly, I see your Pony friends couldn't join us? Busy chugging root beer I would imagine." Chiron levels his arrow. I glance at him, and we share a moment. We both know, this is impossible. We both know, Olympus is not going to be 'preserved'. Chiron moves three fingers, onto his bow. Three, for three seconds. On the count of three, he would fire his arrow and I would slash at Kronos with my sword. Chiron fires, but time seems to slow down for me. I swing my sword, but it goes to slow. Kronos grabs my sword and throws it far away. The arrow bounces off of him, like it hit a metal wall. I wait for my pen to come back. Nothing. Chiron gallops forward to help me but Kronos freezes him. "Stay out of this." He looks distastefully at our activities director. "As for you, young Perseus Jackson. You've caused me...minor head aches. Not even Jason Grace has made me think as much as you. Yes, at the moment, your little Roman friends are being killed one by one and Krios will devour Jason himself. As for you, I will have the pleasure of killing you." I closed my eyes, and backed into the corner. I was about to throw down my last card. I held up my hand, and willed the sewer below the street to obey me. It sprang out in a giant wave and I formed a fist. The water copied me. I pointed at Kronos, and the Titan found himself being given the largest knuckle sandwich in the world. I willed the water to push the Titan back, trying to pick him off but it was too hard. The transformation began, light shining in the water. It was so powerful, I had to avert my eyes, but it made no difference. I covered my face, and felt searing pain throughout my body, I was dying. Slowly and painfully, I probably screamed like a little girl, but I didn't care. I felt the burns searing there way through my mind, burning my arms and legs, even tearing my thoughts. Chiron- was that his name? I could barely remember-whinnied somewhere and I heard Kronos shouting triumphantly, "Too late! Too late Perseus Jackson!" Then the world spun 360° around me, and I collapsed to the side walk. I stared at my hands, which were already turning to dust, just like all the monsters I'd ever killed. ~Epilogue~ I stood in front of the E-Z Death line and the other line. I didn't know which to choose. I'd failed to save Olympus. Did I deserve Elysium? I went to the slower moving line. I had to try, I would never forgive myself if I hadn't. The courthouse was large. I could see people like Shakespeare sitting with a quill, and slamming gravels down. I took a deep breath, and walked inside to be judged. ''Father, if I ever did anything to make you proud...this is where I need you. '' Category:HunterofArtemis12